Introduction

Ibuprofen and naproxen are both nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). You may know them by their most popular brand names: Advil (ibuprofen) and Aleve (naproxen). These drugs are alike in many ways, so you may even wonder if it really matters which one you choose. Take a look at this comparison to get a better idea of which one might be better for you.

What ibuprofen and naproxen do

Both drugs work by temporarily preventing your body from releasing a substance called prostaglandin. Prostaglandins contribute to inflammation, which may cause pain and fever. By blocking prostaglandins, ibuprofen and naproxen treat minor aches and pains from:

Ibuprofen vs. naproxen

Although ibuprofen and naproxen are very similar, they aren’t exactly the same. For example, pain relief from ibuprofen doesn’t last as long as pain relief from naproxen. That means you don’t have to take naproxen as often as you would ibuprofen. This difference may make naproxen a better option for treating pain from chronic conditions.

On the other hand, ibuprofen can be used in young children, but naproxen is only for use in children 12 years and older. Certain forms of ibuprofen are made to be easier for younger children to take.

The following table illustrates these as well as other features of these two drugs.

Interactions

An interaction is an undesired, sometimes harmful effect from taking two or more drugs together. Naproxen and ibuprofen each have interactions to consider, and naproxen interacts with more drugs than ibuprofen does.